September.

Oh, September…

One could certainly say a lot about this month, especially now that it was nearing its end.

*GROWLLLLLL*

“Bloody meow!”

“Another wave, incoming!!!

Elves and brightlanders deemed it the worst time of the year, with the blood moon being at its cruelest. It was no exaggeration to say that the latter despited this month with a passion, given the horrors that stalked their land.

Dwarves and wylders, on the other paw…

“You four, barricade the collapsed part. Fetchers, cover them!”

“We need more fire over here! The torches won’t last much longer!”

Well, I couldn’t really say anything about the dwarves, aside from what was told by adventurers that actually ventured down the Holds. Nevertheless, it would not be wrong to say that stoic bunch also shared our opinion regarding the bloody month.

After all, a catastrophe carried with it plenty of opportunities.

To prove one’s worth, challenges must be overcome.

To earn the reward, risks needed to be made.

To keep your position…

To keep… my position…

“Someone get rid of that damn mocking bird already!”

…

Clenching both jaws, I ignored the painful protest of my aching shoulder and gave the sling another shot. Soon, more stones flew towards the crimson sky, scaring away the winged monstrosity that had been giving me such a headache.

The relief would not last long. It never did. Yet, in this battle of attrition, any chance for a short rest could make the difference between dying and surviving.

Case in point, the many fetchers, and even two runners, that had fallen to the mocking bird’s cursed tunes.

With a gulp, I could not help but lean over the battlement and glanced at the ground below. Those who had just fallen off the wall were being taken to the druids for healing. Some unfortunate few, however…

Well, how could I describe one’s head being cracked open like a bursting watermelon without making it sound too grotesque?

“Another one just got through!”

“Brace yourself!!!”

*BOOOOOM*

The warning was barely registered before training and instinct took over my body. With a leap of faith, I hastily hopped away from the crumbling section of the rampart just as it caved in. Screams of those too slow to react were growing more distant, though it was not like I could pay attention to something like that right now.

“Speak of the rutting devil…”

*Screeech*

The piercing cry drilled its way deep into my skull once more as the torturer of everyone’s eardrums flew back into view. Despite the urge to rip both ears off, I managed to tumble through the messy passageway towards a better cover. It was just in time, as the bloody moon soon illuminated two new figures in the sky.

*Screeech*

*Whooosh*Whooosh*

The cursed beasts flapped their skeletal wings, sending violent gusts of wind towards the wall below. Worse still, the previous ear-splitting shriek could now find its way towards even more victims through the shock waves, and it was not long before dozens of fetchers fell prey to the wicked ploy.

By now, most defenders on the rampart were no different from frail leaves struggling to survive an autumn storm. As the flurry intensified, it took all my will to ignore the haunting tunes and continued holding onto the grab rail. Yet, amidst the swirling chaos, some wandering thoughts could not help but enter my mind upon seeing a familiar fetcher get blown away.

Just earlier this week, the very same doe was all smiles as I approached her. This would be the first year that she got to fight alongside other fetchers on top of the wall, and the bὕnny was eager to prove that she could do more than simple grunt work reserved for fledglings.

“As long as I can still swing my sling, my shots will always find their mark!” she had boasted.

On the first day of the harvest, her aim stayed true and steady.

On the second day of the slaughter, her shaking hand began to waver.

By the third morning, she could barely pick up the sling.

Now…

Now that morning, noon and dusk of the cruelest day every year had already come to pass, she no longer had the strength, or will, to stand against the crimson moon of this bloody night.

Thus, like a battered leaf that could no longer hold onto hope, the fetcher was helplessly tossed around, her screams muffled in the wind.

In the end, she was just another casualty of our endless war against the blight.

A young and foolish bὕnny, with delusions of glory…

…

“Bloody meow…”

Before my mind could even comprehend what was happening, my paws had already finished securing one end of a rope to the grab rail. Two shaky legs screamed in protest as I crouched down and steadied myself. The searing pain accumulated from days of constant fighting once again made itself known, especially now that my instinct was screaming at me for what I was about to do.

Then, with no time left to waste, I hopped high into the sky, towards the helpless fool who had given up on hope.

As our bodies collided against each other, the combined weight of both managed to overcome the raging storm. Despite the shocked look on her face, the doe was quick to grab onto me as gravity took hold of us once more. We fell in an arc, towards the inner wall of the city, and I could barely cover the youth before my back was smashed against the fortification with an audible crunch.

Now that the rope was stretched thin, the other end of it, which had been tightly tied around my waist, finally reminded me of its presence. As the darn thing squeezed onto my stomach, my mind turned frantic as I struggled just to breathe.

Then, from hard-earned experience, I bit on both lips to draw blood, to concentrate. As the ghostly sounds that tempted me to let go of any deadweight got willed away, clarity returned once more.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The cyclone is not as strong on this side of the wall… We can’t stay like this, but getting back up now would be even worse…

I need to wait… After someone deals with the mocking birds or those beasts stop on their own… Only then can I make my move!

One beat… Two beats…

The fetcher was growing increasingly restless.

Nine beats… Ten beats…

I managed to calm her down before she started flailing around.

Twelve…

Thirteen…

…

*Whoosh*

After what felt like an eternity, the howling storm finally subsided. Having told my companion of what would come next, I proceeded to grit my teeth and crouched onto the wall, making sure to aim the upper body as optimal as needed.

*W H o O s h*

The hop was just as expected - sloppy, and incredibly painful.

As we blasted off, the wind kept making its way into my eyes. Yet, I did not dare to close them, fearing the eternal nap that might soon follow. My mind threatened to break down from all the stress, and it took everything I got just to remain conscious.

“Now!?”

Once a certain height was reached, our ascent slowed down significantly, allowing us to carry on with the next step of our plan.

“Not yet… Not yet… NOW!!!”

At once, the doe threw our makeshift tool towards the rampart below. Soon, a clanging noise could be heard, signaling that the bola attached to her rope had managed to entangle itself around the grab rail.

Without wasting a single second, two sparkling stones were smashed against each other. As the spark ignited within barely opened paws, I pointed my hands in the opposite direction of the rampart and shut both eyes tightly.

Despite all the positive thoughts, there was no denying that this was gonna suck as-

*BOOM*

The force of a restrained explosion knocked the wind out of us as we were flung towards our desired landing. Unfortunately, the descent could only be described as an ungraceful mess, given how our attempt to land on all fours looked more like a fumbling feline after one too many drinks.

Lady luck had not forsaken us, of course, especially when a pile of rocks was there to break our fall with its terrible, terrible embrace…

*C R a S h*

•ㅅ•

Well, that was certainly a vivid nightmare.

I woke up with a start. All around me, dirt and debris littered the passageway, though some defenders were also resting around the edge.

A quick look at my surroundings revealed that this was one of the relatively safe zones on the rampart, which begged the question:

Was it all a dream-

“Big sis! You’re ok!!!”

Welp, nevermind then…

The fetcher exclaimed before crashing onto me in joy. It was baffling how she managed to recover so fast, though I was certain that her squeeze might actually be the end of me if this continued…

“Can’t breatheee… Not young as you areee…”

“Oh. OH! I’m sorry, big sis!”

Amidst painful groans, the impossibility of our situation began to dawn on me, just like the shade of orange that was slowly rising on the horizon.

“It’s almost over… We actually made it through, huh?”

“YES! Well, you did black out for a bit. I think it was because of all the blood loss… I tried to find a potion from your pouch, ‘cause all runners carry magical stuff in their magical pouches? But all of yours were already exhausted, so I had to go and ask a runner for help, and found a bєar that agreed to help. We treated you then moved you to this area. When I told her what you did, she said that you are a big dumb dumb and I should give you a bear hug when you wake up so that you won’t continue to be a big dumb dumb and by dumb dumb I meant blah blah blah blah blah blah BLAH.”

“Shh.” Only after the chatterbox had calmed down did I lower the finger near my lips. “Kit, these ears are no longer as good as you youngsters’. Plus, my head still hurts like heck, and I already have enough trouble trying to not fall over the darn floor.”

“Oh… OH! Eh, I mean… I’m sorry?”

“Uh huh. Say, instead of apologizing, how about you go fetch some water for li'l ol' me instead?”

“Absolutely! No wait… Actually, I can’t get off the wall just yet…”

The sight of my raised eyebrow must have been quite intimidating, given how the doe quickly stammered out an answer before any question even had to be asked.

“You might not know this, but my flock has a long running tradition… Fetchers like me must make it through all four days of September’s slaughter, and retreat means punishment…!”

I see…

A simmering fury welled up within my heart, though it was put out just as fast.

If fetchers or wanderers happened to join a nasty flock, then it would be their own fault for following a bad leader, knowingly or not. After all, to thrive in this harsh land, scouting was as important a skill as fighting.

And, despite how cruel and unusual some traditions could get, there was no denying that those successfully passed such trials always ended up as renowned warriors of the Horde.

With each ten lives lost, one hardened fighter would emerge, having found the strength that could protect more than a hundred. Natural selection may not be fair, but it is only through such a method that us wylders manage to make it this far.

The words of a feisty lǐon, who had taught me everything I knew, once again came to mind…

Sighing quietly, I decided to console the poor fetcher.

“Kit… Bun`Iaysti, right? How many halfmoons have you witnessed?”

“Um… Thirteen. I have witnessed thirteen halfmoons since birth.”

“Eleven of which were spent at the nest while at least one would be needed as a fledgling… You were really eager to become a fetcher, huh?”

“YES! This spring’s halfmoon actually marked the end of my one year fledging under the leader of my flock. I was told that I could go join a new flock or officially join the old flock or even create a flock of my own, but I knew that the last one was a trap since only runners can lead a flock. Plus, wanderers and fetchers that try to create a flock are either dumb dumb or will definitely be dead dead, so I just joined my old flock! And everyone was very nice, mostly ‘cause I’ve already known them for a year. And then I remembered our tradition regarding fetchers and sweated a lot since the punishment sounds scary and I don’t like scary a lot and-”

“SHH.” Despite the veins popping on my forehead, the words I said remained calm and even. “I was gonna give you this grand speech and whatnot, but rut it. This has been a long day, and everything you said has been a painful reminder of my headache. Look, kit, you wanna know something important that I had learned from all my years fetching or not?”

A flurry of nods answered my query, to the point that I had to wonder whether I was starting to hallucinate.

“Ahem… Bun`Iaysti, you should always keep in mind that “tactical retreat” might be necessary at times.” Before she could fuss over the advice, I had already brought up both of my arms. “See the magical gloves on these paws? They have been with me ever since I became a runner. Saved my sorry tail more times than I could tell, including that stunt we did earlier.”

Having heard so, the youth immediately switched her attention towards said pieces of gear, not caring of their sorry state. The way she looked at something this tattered with so much awe certainly brought a smile to my lips.

It was understandable, of course. After all, if accomplished wanderers were renowned for their fluttering capes and oaken weapons, then resourceful fetchers would be known for their magical pouches and fanciful tools. These equipment weren’t just an indicator of our rank, but also served as proof of our achievements.

“Believe it or not, they have seen worse days before… Yes, even worse than being blown up by some sparkling stones. Now let me finish first.”

I looked at the gloves, which held so many memories of hard-earned triumphs and bitter defeats alike.

“Most fetchers are looked down on, especially those like us…”

The bὕnny froze up before fidgeting with both paws, her pure white hair swaying in the wind.

“As a result, we keep on throwing ourselves into the fray, hoping to prove everyone wrong. However, do you know what the similarity between these gloves and us is?”

“... No?”

“These gloves need to be mended before being able to work again, just like how I needed to rest after saving you. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had tried the same trick with them in this state?”

“...Your paws might have gone bye bye.”

“Exactly! Everyone has to know their limit. There is no shame in that, as long as you’re still striving to grow stronger. Understood?”

“Understood!”

With a satisfied nod, I patted the beaming bὕnny on the head. Her path might be a thorny one, but with hard work and perseverance, there was no doubt that this fetcher would be able to get far!

“Thank you for telling me this, big sis. What you said is just like what my flock leader told me, but I thought that he was just being mean and completely ignored it!”

I see, that leader is truly a nasty one for saying that-

“... Wait, what?”

Seeing the bewildered expression on my face, the doe quickly explained.

“Leader says that fetchers are strong in different ways compared to wanderers. In other words, as long as fetchers like me could live to fight, we will always grow stronger!”

“... So when you said that you had to make it through all four days of this harvest, you didn’t mean “staying on the wall until it ends”, but just simply… not dying?”

“Yes!”

“... What… What about the punishment part? Didn’t you say that it would be scary?”

“My flockmates tickle me whenever I feel sad after failing a task, with a feather! I always laugh so hard it’s scary!”

“... So why did you say that you couldn’t get off the wall earlier? Why tell me about your flock’s tradition at all?”

“I waited so long for big sis to wake up, my legs turned jelly. So, I thought that we could chat to pass the time! One bird kills two stones, amirite?”

“You… I… That’s not even…”

“My legs no longer feel funny, so I can fetch that water for you now. Wait for me, big sis!”

“...”

With that, the fetcher hopped away, humming a happy tune all the while.

Having nothing better to do, I simply smiled and looked towards the crack of dawn.

Today would certainly be a beautiful new day. So beautiful, a tear was already running down my face just admiring it.

Hahahah.

Hahah.

Hah…

I would have bunnies for meals later, that was for certain.